28TH ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE FIRST SESSION CONFERENCE COMMITTEE ON HB 65 and HB 66 April 9, 2013 5:32 p.m. 5:32:43 PM CALL TO ORDER Chair Austerman called the Conference Committee meeting on HB 65 and HB 66 to order at 5:32 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: House: Representative Alan Austerman, Chair Representative Bill Stoltze Representative Les Gara Senate: Senator Pete Kelly, Vice-Chair Senator Kevin Meyer Senator Lyman Hoffman MEMBERS ABSENT None ALSO PRESENT: David Teal, Director, Legislative Finance Division; fiscal analysts with the Office of Management and Budget and Legislative Finance Division; and aides to committee members and other members of the Legislature. SUMMARY HB 65 APPROP: OPERATING BUDGET/LOANS/FUNDS HB 65 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further consideration. HB 66 APPROP: MENTAL HEALTH BUDGET HB 66 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further consideration. CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 65(FIN) "An Act making appropriations for the operating and loan program expenses of state government and for certain programs, capitalizing funds, and making reappropriations; and providing for an effective date." SENATE CS FOR CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 65(FIN) "An Act making appropriations for the operating and loan program expenses of state government and for certain programs, capitalizing funds, and making reappropriations; and providing for an effective date." and CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 66(FIN) "An Act making appropriations for the operating and capital expenses of the state's integrated comprehensive mental health program and making a reappropriation; and providing for an effective date." SENATE CS FOR CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 66(FIN) "An Act making appropriations for the operating and capital expenses of the state's integrated comprehensive mental health program and making a reappropriation; and providing for an effective date." DEPARTMENTS Department of Administration Department of Corrections Department of Environmental Conservation Department of Labor and Workforce Development Department of Law Department of Transportation and Public Facilities 5:32:59 PM Chair Austerman communicated that the conference committee would be meeting on HB 65 and HB 66 open items. He noted that Limited Powers of Free Conference had been granted by both the Senate and the House. Departments with open items would be taken up based on the motion sheets distributed to members earlier in the day and dated 04/04/13. He relayed that the conference committee would not address open items from the following departments during the current meeting: the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development, the Department of Education and Early Development, the Department of Fish and Game, the Department of Health and Social Services, the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Revenue, the University of Alaska, the Alaska Court System, and the Legislature. DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION 5:34:23 PM Vice-Chair Kelly MOVED to ADOPT the Chair's recommendation on the following items for the Department of Administration's budget: Item 1 House Item 2 Senate Item 3 Senate Item 4 House Item 5 Senate minus $300.0 5:34:50 PM There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered. The action closed all conferencable items in the budget for the Department of Administration. DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS: 5:35:02 PM Vice-Chair Kelly MOVED to ADOPT the Chair's recommendation on the following items for the Department of Corrections' budget: Item 1 Senate 5:35:10 PM There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered. The action closed all conferencable items in the budget for the Department of Correction. DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION: 5:35:19 PM Vice-Chair Kelly MOVED to ADOPT the Chair's recommendation on the following items for the Department of Environmental Conservation's budget: Item 1 Senate Item 2 House 5:35:37 PM There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered. The action closed all conferencable items in the budget for the Department of Environmental Conservation. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT: 5:35:48 PM Vice-Chair Kelly MOVED to ADOPT the Chair's recommendation on the following items for the Department of Labor & Workforce Development's budget: Item 1 House Item 2 Senate Item 3 Senate minus $50.0 Item 4 Senate 5:36:07 PM There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered. The action closed all conferencable items in the budget for the Department of Labor & Workforce Development. DEPARTMENT OF LAW: 5:36:18 PM Vice-Chair Kelly MOVED to ADOPT the Chair's recommendation on the following items for the Department of Law's budget: Item 1 House Item 2 House Item 3 House Item 4 House Item 5 House Item 6 House Item 7 Senate Item 8 House Item 9 Senate minus $500.0 5:36:44 PM Senator Hoffman OBJECTED for the purpose of discussion. He commented on the Department of Law's Criminal Division, particularly regarding the prosecuting attorneys in Juneau, Fairbanks, and Bethel. He understood the need to "tighten" the operating budget items, but expressed concerns that the problems would still exist in Juneau, Fairbanks, and Bethel; he opined that the legislature should figure out how to address those problems in the future. He acknowledged the financial constraints that the state was facing. 5:37:27 PM Senator Hoffman WITHDREW his OBJECTION. 5:37:32 PM Representative Gara OBJECTED for the purpose of discussion. He noted that Item 8, which was for the complex litigation on oil and gas, was $2 million less than the governor had requested; however, the intention with the intention with this item was to have the other $2 million put in the capital budget, which seemed appropriate. He pointed to Item 9, which was for the work of experts and attorneys in order to move the possible "big gasline" forward; he hoped that if the governor needed additional funds for this item, it would be requested in a supplemental. He offered that that the compromise seemed reasonable. 5:38:14 PM Representative Gara WITHDREW his OBJECTION. 5:38:23 PM There being NO further OBJECTION, it was so ordered. The action closed all conferencable items in the budget for the Department of Law. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION & PUBLIC FACILITIES: 5:38:34 PM Vice-Chair Kelly MOVED to ADOPT the Chair's recommendation on the following items for the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities' budget: Item 1 House Item 2 House Item 3 House Item 4 House and change "FY2015" to "FY2016" Item 5 House Item 6 Senate minus $175.0 Item 7 Senate minus $108.4 Item 8 Senate minus $44.6 Item 9 Senate minus $81.8 Item 10 Senate minus $102.0 Item 11 House plus $650.0 Item 12 House plus $250.0 Item 13 House plus $30.0 Item 14 Senate Item 15 Senate 5:40:12 PM There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered. The action closed all conferencable items in the budget for the Transportation and Public Facilities. SALARY ADJUSTMENTS: 5:40:25 PM Vice-Chair Kelly MOVED to ADOPT the Chair's recommendation on the following items for the following Branch-wide Contractual Salary Adjustments: Item 1 Senate Item 2 Senate 5:40:47 PM There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered. The action closed all conferencable items in the budget for the Branch-wide Contractual Salary Adjustment items. FUND CAPITALIZATIONS: 5:40:54 PM Vice-Chair Kelly MOVED to ADOPT the Chair's recommendation on the following items for the Fund Capitalizations subject to Conference: Item 1 Senate minus $1 million 5:41:13 PM There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered. The action closed all conferencable items in the budget for the Fund Capitalization item subject to Conference. FUND TRANSFERS: 5:41:30 PM Vice-Chair Kelly MOVED to ADOPT the Chair's recommendation on the following items for the Fund Transfers subject to Conference: Item 1 Senate Item 2 House 5:41:44 PM There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered. The action closed all conferencable items in the budget for the Fund Transfers subject to Conference. 5:41:53 PM MENTAL HEALTH CAPITAL BUDGET HB 66: Vice-Chair Kelly MOVED to ADOPT the Chair's recommendation on the following items for the Mental Health Capital Budget items in HB 66: Item 1 Senate Item 2 House Item 3 House Item 4 House Item 5 House & change GF to GF Mental Health Item 6 House & change GF to GF Mental Health Item 7 House 5:42:31 PM There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered. The action closed all conferencable capital budget items for HB 66, the Mental Health Capital Budget. 5:42:49 PM Chair Austerman anticipated that the next meeting would be on Wednesday, April 10th at 4:00 p.m. and related that it would be noticed on BASIS. 5:43:09 PM Chair Austerman queried if there was any other business, questions, or comments from committee members Vice-Chair Kelly MOVED to ADJOURN. There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered. HB 65 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further consideration. HB 66 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further consideration. ADJOURNMENT 5:43:14 PM The meeting was adjourned at 5:43 p.m.